


Link's holiday beard

by ElectricDove



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Link's beard, M/M, Rhett secretly loves it, We all love it, i love it, you love it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 12:56:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9324587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectricDove/pseuds/ElectricDove
Summary: Link has some doubts while shaving his holiday beard. Rhett knows exactly what to do.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt: 
> 
> Link's holiday beard
> 
> (Sorry, I couldn't come up with a good title..)

He’s been standing in front of the bathroom mirror for too long. 

Scrutinizing his face, running his fingers over coarse hair, groaning tiredly as he takes it all in. Link worries about the patches of grey he sees. They’re not so subtle anymore now, no longer hiding in between the thick dark stubble but adorning his cheeks and chin in more prominent ways every year. It’s tradition by now, every winter break the same as he leaves his razorblade back home and lets his stubble grow into a short beard.  
In the last days of their break, usually the weekend before they go back to work, Link will go upstairs and shave it all off. Once he’s back to his babyfaced cheeks, he’s ready for work again.

Like always, his shaving kit waits for him on the counter, shaving foam and a new blade, the old towel he always uses to clean himself up. His shirt and jeans lie neatly folded on the closed lid of the toilet, today’s clothes exchanged for an old pair of pajama pants. 

Scrubbing his hands on his fuzzy cheeks, Link groans at his own reflection once more. This afternoon he’d suddenly decided he should shave.   
They’re back to work next week anyways and the kids can’t look at him without laughing. The young cashier at Whole Foods even called him ‘sir’ for the first time since he’s cut his hair last year and Rhett hadn’t let up his steady stream of teasing about it.   
So, there he is, judging his own reflection as it stares back at him. Unfamiliar, but familiar.   
Link runs his fingers over his cheeks once more, the raspy sound of it loud in the empty bathroom.

He kinda likes his beard.   
He also kinda hates his beard. 

Usually he has no problems with shaving, with being the clean shaven one in their duo. But now, as the end of their current well-deserved winter break nears, Link is reluctant to pick up his razor and do what he does nearly every day.  
He realizes that with doing so he would signify the end of their downtime, the end of choosing comfort over image. It means they’d have to fit that mold again.  
Sometimes shaping himself back to Link from Rhett and Link proves to be difficult. Like now.

The door to the bathroom opens, Rhett’s tall figure blocking out their adjoining bedroom as he steps through the doorway. Squinting in the bright lights of the bathroom, eyes nearly closed and brows knitted together as he comes to stand behind Link at his position in front of the sink. 

Where he’s been standing for at least 20 minutes now.   
With the intent of shaving.   
Without doing such a thing or really anything at all.

Rhett’s arms wrapped around his sides feel good, anchoring him to the solid man behind him. Link lets out a deep sigh, leaning his head back on Rhett’s chest, letting the steady thrum of Rhett’s heart drown out own inner thoughts.   
He always does this.   
Think too much.   
Too loudly. 

Link wonders if he’s been thinking so loudly that Rhett could hear him and that’s why the man is standing in the bathroom with him. He makes a mental note to ask later, even though he knows he risks ridicule and some awkward laughter, but he doesn’t mind. Not with Rhett.   
Not when Rhett is the only one who can bring the loud thoughts, the ones he might also be able to hear, back to a quiet murmur.

A soft kiss on his cheek makes him realize he’s closed his eyes, supported by Rhett as he is while drawing some mental strength from his partner. 

Business partner, other half, best friend, partner in life. 

Without saying anything, or asking anything, Rhett could come close and just know how much he was needed by Link. It’s always been his strength, even back when his description was still just ‘best friend’. Rhett knew Link, knew instinctively what he needed to do to be the best other half of their duo he could be. Link decides to forego his ridiculous question. Of course Rhett can hear his thoughts, loud or quiet, because he knows Link.   
There’s no one who knows Link better than Rhett does, not even Link himself.

The kiss on his cheek turns into a nuzzling movement, Rhett’s own bearded face making the rasping sounds even louder. Link lets Rhett bring him back to the present, his presence gentle but insistent. A trail of kisses leading up to his ear are enough to draw Link’s attention to their reflection in the mirror.   
He always liked their combined reflection better than his own solitary one. Rhett is the light to his darkness, quite literally and figuratively. 

The dark hair still growing on the lower half of his face draws Link’s eyes to it once again. The black and grey asking for attention. From him, from Rhett, from everyone, it seems. For a second Link wonders how their community would react if he’d appeared like this at the start of a new season, before quickly dismissing the idea. 

Been there, done that. Not doing that again, move along.

As he considers his possibilities, calculates in his head how long he still has before he absolutely has to shave and relinquish his freedom of hair growth, Rhett bites his ear. 

“What the heck, Rhett!”

He looks at Rhett’s reflection, staring at his mirror partner in semi-wounded shock. Mirror Rhett shrugs his shoulders, the movement synchronized behind him by the real Rhett.

“You're thinking too loud, baby. Come to bed, I missed you.”

Rhett’s eyes, mirror Rhett’s eyes to be exact, look impossibly green in the bright lights of their bathroom. They’re beautiful and enticing, turning mischievous as the man they belong to leaves another trail of wet kisses down the edge of Link's beard.

Closing his eyes again, Link lets himself float on Rhett's pleasant ministrations for a while. Rhett is warm and steady as his mouth find all the soft places where Link likes to be kissed.

“You don't have to shave, you know.”

Rhett's lips move against Link's Adam's apple, tickling it with his words before pressing soft kisses to the protrusion. Even though Link makes a resolution each year to shave this part of his beard, he never does, his neck beard still firmly in place after all these years.

“You're gorgeous.”

Large hands wrap around his naked shoulders turn Link around to finally face Rhett without the mirror. His bright eyes look even more enticing, inviting Link to stand on his toes to press a kiss onto Rhett's own bearded chin. Taking a step back without leaving the loose embrace of Rhett's arms, Link counteracts his flattering statement.

“I look ridiculous.”

“Yeah, you do.”

Rhett's retort is instantaneous, teasing smile tugging at his lips.

“I should shave.”

“You should.”

One of Rhett's hands wanders up, disappears to the back of his head, fingers tangling in Link's hair.

“I’ll shave tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

Thoughts of shaving, of their image and everything that had worried him so, quiet down entirely. Rhett's face is soft and affectionate, reflecting the love that he's surely showing on his own face. Leaning up and looping his arms around Rhett's neck, Link voices his last worry before he abandons the anxious thoughts completely.

“You don’t mind?”

“You know I don’t mind.”

“Not even the grey?”

“Definitely not the grey. I’ll show you. Come here, baby.”

Link lets himself be lead to their bed, Rhett's hand warm in his, tugging impatiently as he looks at himself in the mirror once more before turning off the bathroom lights.

He'll shave, soon. But right now, he has better things to do.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, the biggest thanks to my lovely editing friend [soltvde](http://archiveofourown.org/users/soltvde/pseuds/soltvde)  
> . Without her I'm a mess.
> 
> Come and find me on my [tumblr](http://touchinganelectricdove.tumblr.com/)  
> Kudos and comments always make my day a bit brighter.


End file.
